The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting similar corn yields to last year’s in Indiana, but many Hoosier farmers aren’t that optimistic. That’s according to the Indiana Farm Bureau.

Heavy rain in April, followed by unseasonable cold weather into May created some challenges. Several farmers say they’re behind in their corn production. Many told the Farm Bureau they had to replant a lot of their corn, with much of it just pollinating now. Corn that was not replanted is thin.

However, farmers in southern Indiana are reporting healthier corn yields, according to the Farm Bureau. Farmers say there’s still a chance that corn production will improve, if weather conditions are favorable.

The Blue Jay Strategic Planning Group is searching for new members to join their organization that serves as a link between the school corporation and the community. The group meets once a month in order to set goals that seem pertinent to parents, residents and school faculty.

The group lost at least half of last year’s members due to scheduling conflicts so they are looking for four to six new members to join. In order to be considered, community members have to fill out the appropriate application. Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin is accepting the applications in multiple ways. Individuals can visit the N.J.-S.P. Central Office at 801 Campbell Drive to pick up or drop off an application or email them to Zupin directly.

Members of this year’s committee have the opportunity to also serve on the School Improvement Team which is comprised of faculty, parents and community members. The application deadline is set for the end of August. Access the application here.

Incoming Ancilla College students have the opportunity to settle into residence halls, explore the campus, meet faculty and learn all they need to know about the upcoming semester at a new student orientation this Friday at 12 p.m. [EST]. College placement testing will start at 9 a.m. for students who still need to get that completed.

Orientation covers things such as housing, semester billing, financial aid, advising and student support services. Lunch is provided for orientation but students must first register through Ancilla’s website. A link to registration requirements, as well as more information about activities Ancilla has in store for their Welcome Weekend can be found here.

Center for Hospice Care needs volunteers in St. Joseph, La Porte, Elkhart, LaGrange, Starke, Marshall, Kosciusko and Fulton Counties. The next Volunteer Training is in September & October. No previous health care experience is necessary. Volunteers are needed for:

Patient Care

Companionship

Bereavement Callers

Office Support

Massage Therapists

Veteran Volunteers to serve our veteran patients

Hair Stylists and Barbers

Pet Visitation

Camp Evergreen Grief Camp for Kids

Life Bio (capturing the life stories of our patients)

Training is comprehensive and will prepare volunteers for various opportunities. Following training, volunteers may assist patients and families in activities such as respite, transportation, laundry, errands, companionship, or bereavement. Volunteers will serve patients in their homes, in nursing homes, or may serve in office or clerical roles. Center for Hospice Care is in need of individuals with licensure/certification in massage therapy, hair styling, pet visitation, or notary public.

After working with Thermal Solutions for several months, North Judson-San Pierre Schools are permitted to purchase three new boilers at a discounted price. Though the school board already approved the boiler project during their July meeting, they were required to act on purchasing the boilers during their Tuesday night meeting.

Superintendent Annette Zupin informed the board that the boilers will cost $16,606 each. The total cost of $49,818 will come out of the capital projects and construction funds. The board voted unanimously to approve the purchase.

The board also approved to advertise the 2018-2020 Capital Projects. Superintendent Zupin told the board that all projects involved are still currently in the paper work stage so physical work won’t begin until around November.

However, in order to prioritize projects they will be meeting with an architect in two weeks. Zupin explained that priority is based on time of year, whether there are students in the building or not and the climate, so the meeting is to put together a rough draft of a timeline for the projects. The Superintendent plans to keep both the board and the public posted about the capital projects timeline to make sure that everybody stays informed during the process.